Tax Hike Blamed as William Hill Betting Shops Start to Close

by Roy Brindley, 29 January 2026

Up to 200 William Hill betting shops are expected to close as its parent company reacts to the Chancellor’s gambling tax shake-up.

Taxes imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her November Budget are blamed for an ongoing round of William Hill betting shop closures.

Key Facts:

• Around 15% of William Hill betting shops could be affected by an ongoing cull.
• Higher gambling duties imposed by the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget have been blamed for the closures.
• Evoke, the gambling group behind William Hill, could sell its entire betting shop estate.
• Betfred and Boylesports are considered likely buyers if William Hill is broken up.

Evoke, the gambling group behind William Hill, 888, and Mr Green, has confirmed it is closing William Hill betting shops in response to higher taxes imposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her November Budget.

The company, which completed the acquisition of William Hill in July 2022, said it had moved quickly to limit the financial impact of increased gambling levies, combining retail closures with wider cost-cutting measures across its business.

The London Stock Exchange-listed Evoke, formerly 888 Holdings, did not specify how many shops it plans to close, but it previously warned that as many as 200 betting shops could be at risk if duties were raised.

Cost Saving Means Shop Closures

“We have moved quickly and decisively to execute on our mitigation plans, including the closure of retail stores that are no longer sustainable as well as broader cost savings, and we will update shareholders on our progress and updated strategic plan in due course,” said Per Widerström, Evoke’s Chief Executive.

The company said it expects the William Hill store closures to offset around half of the additional costs arising from the higher tax rates. Operating an estimated 1,300 betting shops in the UK, around 15 per cent of the William Hill shop estate could be culled.

Before the Budget, Evoke warned that higher gambling duties would have serious consequences for the industry and the broader economy, saying increased taxes would “drive customers to the black market, reduce overall tax generation, lead to thousands of job losses, and decrease investment in UK sports.”

Taxes, Costs and a Potential Sale

The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget increased online gaming duty from 21 per cent to 40 per cent. Online sports betting duty has been raised from 15% to 25%. The new, increased figure excludes bets placed on struggling horse racing.

Further savings are expected through changes in how customers are served – service kiosks potentially favoured over human staff – reduced expenditure with suppliers, and a scaling back of sponsorship and marketing activities.

Evoke, which paid £2.2bn to buy William Hill’s network of 1,400 betting shops less than four years ago but has since lost over 90% of its value, continues to explore a potential sale as part of a strategic review launched in December.

The Gibraltar-headquartered firm, with offices in Leeds, London, Romania, Bulgaria and Malta, says the review, which will take advice from Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co., could result in the sale of the entire group or individual business units. Evoke currently has net debt of £1.82 billion.

Betfred and Boyles Are Potential Buyers?

Betfred, a privately owned British bookmaker owned by the Done family that dates back to 1967 and currently operates around 1,350 betting shops alongside an acclaimed online casino, is reportedly keen to buy part or all of William Hill’s retail outlets.

A complete purchase could prove troublesome, as in 2016, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) mandated that Ladbrokes and Coral sell 350 to 400 licensed betting shops before it cleared a £2.3 billion merger between the two betting giants.

On this occasion, Betfred and Stan James bought the bulk of these shops. This time, the rapidly expanding BoyleSports is a likely contender for any crumbs a partial Betfred purchase would leave. The Republic of Ireland-based company purchased 35 Northern Irish William Hill shops and two Isle of Man William Hill outlets in 2020.

Last summer, BoyleSports group CEO, Vlad Kaltenieks, committed his company to a £100m investment that it states will go towards opening over 200 new stores across the UK – creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the process.